When some bright spark had the idea of combining the exciting game of poker with the convenience and attraction of the slot machine concept, we doubt that even they were able to foresee just how successful Video Poker would become. The game has been around for a few decades now, but it’s more popular than ever, and all online casinos have at least a handful of different Video Poker games to play. In fact, many casinos have dozens of them.

Playing Video Poker is very simple. Decide of your stake for the hand and press the DEAL button. The player is dealt five cards and must then decide which cards he wants to keep and which cards he wants to exchange. He then presses DEAL again and any cards marked for exchange are swapped for new cards. The five card hand is then assessed and if it qualifies for a prize this is paid out automatically.

In the main, winning Video Poker hands are as follows (from best to worst):

Royal Flush
A-K-Q-J-10 of the same suit

Straight Flush
Five consecutively ranked cards of the same suit. For example, 2-3-4-5-6 of hearts.

Four of a Kind
Four cards of the same ranks. For example, K-K-K-K-3.

Full House
Three cards of the same rank and a pair. For example, 8-8-8-J-J.

Flush
Five cards of the same suit, but not consecutively ranked.

Straight
Five consecutively ranked cards, but not of the same suit.

Three of a Kind
Three cards of the same rank. For example, 8-8-8-J-4.

Two Pair
Two pairs of cards of the same rank. For example, 8-8-J-J-4.

Most machines also pay out a modest prize for a high pair, but this does depend on the type of Video Poker machine being played. Some machines pay out on a pair of Tens or Better, some on Jacks or Better, and so on. Deuces Wild machines don’t usually pay out on any pair or on two pair because the deuce acts as a wild card and it is therefore easier to make these relatively low-ranking hands. As always, you should be careful check the rules of the particular game you intend to play so that you know which hands are winners and which ones aren’t.

Progressive video poker machines generally offer large jackpot prizes for players getting a Royal Flush. However, it should be noted that the whole progressive jackpot is usually only awarded to those who are playing the maximum number of coins per hand. It therefore makes sense to do this when playing progressive machines, just in case you happen to get lucky.

Multi-handed video poker machines work in exactly the same way as single hand games, but allow you to play up to 20, 50 or even 100 video poker hands at the same time. Obviously, the more hands you choose to play, the more it will cost.

There are books on video poker strategy and if you intend to play this game regularly reading one or two of them may be of use. For the more casual player, a general familiarity with poker may well be sufficient, but always look at the payout percentage of any video poker machine that you are thinking about playing. If it is less than 95% then you should play at another casino, because better payout percentages are available.